


Maybe I Like You!

by yalltookmyusernameideas



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, concept for deceit's room, elements of hurt/comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24207649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yalltookmyusernameideas/pseuds/yalltookmyusernameideas
Summary: Janus really really likes Virgil, and the fantasies his room creates won't let him forget it. Well, maybe Virgil actually does like him too!
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Comments: 16
Kudos: 181





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a cute fic with a concept for Janus's room and ended up as this.

Deceit’s room was specifically tailored just to him, much like all the other sides’ rooms. His room would lie to him, though it was up to him if he actually accepted these lies and allowed them to continue. Most of them were insignificant enough that whether or not he left them didn’t matter.

However, there was one recurring lie that his room would… indulge him in. Only every once in a while, and always when he least expected it, but whenever he finally thought the source was gone, whenever he finally thought he’d gotten his emotions under control, effectively stifling the source material for this particular lie, it resurfaced, in the form of two mismatched eyes smiling at him through purple bangs. 

He knew it was a mirage, no more than a fabrication of his deepest desires, a dream, a  _ lie _ that his room allowed him to live out for a small amount of time when he least expected it. Still, sometimes it was… nice. It was nice to pretend, to let himself believe the lie, the hope that one day maybe he’d be accepted into the group the other sides had, maybe be able to grow close to Virgil once again. 

That was months ago. It had been a while since the fabrication of the other side had appeared in his room. He wasn't sure if he missed it or not. But now he was accepted, sort of. Now he was Janus to them, not Deceit. And it felt… good? It felt better, he knew that for sure. At least now he had a chance of getting closer to Virgil.Maybe their dynamic could change. Of course, if Virgil remained resolute in his position of hatred, he’d learn to live with it. Hopefully his feelings would fade with time and that would be the end of it. 

But if that didn’t happen… at the very least, they could be friends. Janus didn’t want to let himself hope more than that, for the fear of the inevitable hurt waiting on the other end of his likely rejection. 

So it isn’t hard to imagine Janus’s surprise when he found Virgil waiting outside his room one day, looking like his usual anxious self as he wrung his hands together. 

“Virgil?” Janus asked carefully. 

Virgil offered a smile that Janus knew was probably supposed to look nonchalant but came off more manic than anything else. 

“Hey Dee! Er- Janus. Should I be calling you Janus? Do you want me to do that? Or are you more comfortable with Deceit? Or Dee?” 

Janus raised his hand carefully. It had nowhere near enough force behind it to silence the other side, but it had more than enough to get his attention and to stop his rambling, to get him to take a deep breath and consider his next words. 

“Uh. Thanks.” Virgil mumbled. 

Janus quirked an eyebrow. Virgil had never thanked him for using that ability before, even when it was to his benefit. Something must’ve been really bothering him. 

“Since you’re clearly so carefree, did you want to chat?” Janus asked, his concern just barely shining through his snark. 

Virgil’s shoulders tensed, before he took a deep breath and forcibly relaxed. 

“I- yeah, a little bit.” 

Janus nodded and allowed Virgil to lead the way to the commons. It was, surprisingly mostly empty. Roman must’ve been in the imagination, and Logan was working in his room. Patton hummed to the music playing though his headphones as he cleaned the kitchen from an earlier bakin endeavor. 

Janus sat near the point where the couch turned, and Virgil sat perpendicular to him, running his hands over his thighs in a self-soothing motion. Whatever he was going to say was clearly causing him a lot of anxiety- well, more than usual- and even though they didn’t get along, Janus really hated to see the other side like this. 

Janus reached out and placed a hand over Virgil’s, before realizing that maybe sudden touch wasn't such a good idea. But Virgil grasped his hand and held it like a lifeline. 

This prompted another concerned utterance of “Virgil?” to cross Janus’s lips. Virgil stared intently at his other, unoccupied hand as he let out a slow breath. 

“So.” Virgil began, voice a lot calmer than he looked. “I have been a really huge jerk to you. And I’m sorry. It wasn't fair for me to do that, especially not to you. I… I shouldn’t have reacted so harshly, especially considering that… these are  _ my _ feelings, not yours. All you did was exist, and I was really really mean, and I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am.” 

Janus pointedly ignored the excited shiver that went down his spine with the apology. It was far more than he’d ever hoped for! 

“It’s… it’s alright, Virgil.” Janus replied, matching his tone to Virgil’s and making his honesty obvious. 

“You and I both have a common goal of protecting Thomas. And while I don’t understand  _ why _ you thought antagonizing me would contribute to that, you were only trying to do your job. So I can and do forgive you.” 

Janus watched the tension practically melt off of Virgil. 

“That, uh, that’s only a part of it.” Virgil admitted. 

Janus tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, not even attempting to hide his curiosity. 

Virgil blushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He released Janus’s hand in favor of fiddling with the end of his hoodie. Janus tried not to frown at the change. 

“We all know I’m uh, absolute shit when it comes to dealing with emotions. And when it comes to, well… you, there are some particularly, um, scary? Emotions that I’d really… rather not deal with. So I just… y’know,” Virgil trailed off, making a halfhearted slashing motion, “lashed out.” he finished with a shrug, finally looking to Janus for a reaction. 

“I see.” Janus said, when he most definitely did not. 

“Ugh! This is so  _ hard _ ! Why are feelings so difficult!” Virgil groaned in frustration. 

“Can you say it in fewer words?” Janus suggested, hoping that might make it both clearer for himself and easier on the anxious side next to him. 

“I mean- yeah, I could, but being direct is scary! I don’t do that!” Virgil argued. 

Janus raised an unamused eyebrow. Back to snark it was. “You’re right. You’ve  _ never _ been direct once in your life, and I certainly shouldn't expect you to start now. You’ve  _ never  _ taken charge of a conversation, or overridden Thomas’s actions, not to mention the fact that you’d never even  _ consider _ using fear tactics to get the others to listen to you-”

“This isn’t like that!” Virgil insisted, cutting Janus off. He looked only slightly distressed. 

“Oh? Then what is ‘this’ like, Virgil?” Janus challenged. 

“You!” Virgil shouted, then immediately covered his mouth, eyes wide with shock. 

Janus’s eyebrows knit in confusion. That made absolutely no sense. “What.” He deadpanned. 

Virgil sighed and lowered his hands. “I… like you.” He spoke quietly but clearly, back to concentrating on his jeans and fiddling with the hem of his hoodie. 

“You  _ like me _ ?” Janus questioned in disbelief. 

Virgil shrunk away from Janus, nodding.

“Listen, just reject me so I can get on with my pity party and get rid of this stupid feelings already.” he mumbled. 

“I- no!” Janus shouted incredulously, standing to emphasise his point. 

Virgil looked up, a mix of confusion and frustration showing clearly on his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?! Why ‘no’?!” 

“Because  _ I  _ like  _ you, _ and I thought  _ you _ would reject  _ me! _ ” Janus explained. 

Virgil recovered from his shock quickly and stood to be eye level with Janus. “Well I wouldn’t! Because I’ve liked you for a long time now and just sucked at coping with my own feelings! 

“Well then that makes two of us!” Janus retorted. The two of them were rapidly approaching yelling volume. 

“Well that’s fine then! That’s great!” Virgil shouted back, his tone not matching the words leaving his mouth at all. 

“Yeah! Fine!” Janus yelled back. 

“Good!” 

“Good!” 

They glared at each other for a moment more before Janus flipped his caplet over his shoulder dramatically and stomped his way back up to his room. He shut his door and let himself glare at the yellow paint for a moment before processing the events of the last fifteen minutes. 

Janus groaned and lightly banged his head into his door repeatedly. 

“I have done  _ plenty  _ of things dumber than that before and I don’t feel stupid.” Janus lied to himself, stopping the abuse pf his forehead to rest it there on his door. Finally, he sighed and pushed himself away from the door and turned to dramatically fling himself onto his bed, only to be stopped in his tracks by the sight that awaited him once he turned around. 

The near-perfect Virgil fabrication smiled at him from across the room, in a way that was  _ almost _ convincing enough for him to fall for. 

Janus let out an exasperated sigh. 

“Why now?” He asked his room, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer but feeling like he was being mocked anyways. 

Janus allowed himself to be pulled into not-Virgil’s arms grumpily, still glaring at the door. 

Janus  _ almost _ willed away the fabrication. Because now… now he might be able to have the real thing. Now he might be able to convince Virgil to really hold him like this, hold him close like he was something precious and gently card his fingers through his hair. 

But they’d just confessed. And they’d yelled their confessions at each other. Did that mean it was too soon? It was probably too soon. 

So Janus surrendered to the embrace of not-Virgil, lying when he promised he would talk to Virgil about this tomorrow. 


	2. Chapter 2

Janus was right. They didn’t talk tomorrow. Or the next day, or the day after that. It took a full week of them tiptoeing around each other for Janus to finally cave and go to Virgil. He wanted to clear the air. 

“Virgil.” Janus called as he cleared his throat, leaning against the doorframe leading to the kitchen. 

Virgil jumped, dropping his ramen packet as he turned to face Janus. 

“Oh, hey…” he trailed off, still not sure what name Janus wanted him to use. 

“Janus is fine.” He supplied. 

Virgil nodded. “Hey Janus.” 

Janus nodded in reply. “So, are we going to talk about our conversation from last week? Or are we just going to continue to dance around it? Because I personally think it’s  _ loads _ of fun and we should definitely keep it up. Not like I’m losing sleep over it or anything.” 

Despite the topic, Virgil let out a snort of laughter. 

“Yeah, that’s the mood. Got it in one.” 

Janus allowed his lips to quirk up into a small smile. “Indeed. And that answers my question so well, too!” He made sure there was no malice in his tone, only affectionate snark. He wanted to diffuse the tension, not create more. 

Virgil did laugh this time. “Okay, yeah, uh,” Virgil paused as he climbed onto the counter to sit, his ramen forgotten. Janus pulled one of the barstools over, turning it around so he could sit facing Virgil. 

“Did you still  _ want _ to be something?” Virgil asked. 

That… that shocked Janus. He expected uncertainty and awkwardness, but he didn’t expect Virgil to  _ backtrack _ . If that’s what he was doing. He wasn’t even sure if that’s what Virgil meant by his question. 

“I’m not sure I understand your question.” Janus replied. 

Virgil gave a halfhearted shrug. “It’s just… we can’t just  _ ignore _ that I was an absolute dick to you. And I feel like jumping right from that to a… to a romantic relationship would be uh. Not healthy. For either of us.” 

“Ah.” Janus understood now. 

They sat in silence for a moment. The water on the stove started to boil, and Virgil got up to finish making his ramen. 

“I totally get it if you only liked the idea of a relationship in theory, by the way. That’s an actual thing. I just… I dunno. I don’t want to be the reason you’re unhappy, or unsure of yourself, or anything like that. I want you to be happy, and confident, and snarky, and silly, and just… just  _ you _ .” Virgil admitted, a soft smile gracing his features as he listed his hopes for Janus. 

And that was when Janus knew that they’d be able to navigate this, whatever  _ this _ was. 

“I think we’ll be okay.” Janus admitted, allowing his smile to grow ever so slightly. 

Virgil looked up from the stove, careful hope evident in his eyes. 

“...elaborate?” Virgil requested.

Janus nodded. “I think that we could make it work. I… I trust you.” 

Virgil let the spoon he was using to stir his ramen fall to the counter. “You really- even though I- you want-?” 

Janus chuckled, finally crossing the kitchen to meet Virgil. 

“Yeah, I do. You already apologized,  _ sincerely  _ apologized. I don’t see you reverting back to that anytime soon, do you?” 

Virgil let out a sigh of relief and relaxed as he shook his head, looking up to meet Janus’s eyes, a relieved smile lighting up his face. 

“No, definitely not.” 

Janus finally full-out grinned, reaching forward to pull Virgil into a hug. “We’ll just take it slow, yeah? Be sure to clearly communicate with one another, establish boundaries, figure out what is and isn’t okay for us and make it work.” 

Virgil nodded. “Yeah. I’ll do my best.” 

Janus let out a huff of a laugh. “Well, I suppose there will be one upside for you then, when it comes to dating me.” 

Virgil quirked an eyebrow. “Bold of you to assume there’s only one. I am curious to what you mean, though.” 

Janus placed a kiss on Virgil’s forehead. “I’ll know if you’re lying. So good luck pulling the wool over my eyes! We’re going to have a healthy and communicative relationship and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He teased, poking Virgil’s side. 

Virgil’s smile widened to a grin as he giggled. “That tickles, snakey!” He shouted, reaching over to return the favor. 

The two of them continued to chat and flirt, and Virgil  _ almost  _ forgot about his ramen. When he did finally finish it, he grabbed two bowls instead of one, serving half to Janus. Janus smiled openly, glad to finally be able to let his guard down. 

“So.” Janus began cheekily. 

Virgil looked up from his bowl, noodles trailing down his chin. He quickly slurped them up. “We have been dating for a grand total of  _ five minutes _ and I can already tell you’re going to be insufferable.” Virgil teased, but nodded for Janus to go on. 

Janus flashed a toothy smile before continuing. “How long have you liked meee?” He sang, smirking at Virgil. 

Virgil sighed and rolled his eyes. “Are we actually gonna do this? Really?” 

Janus’s only response was a pout, and a rather adorable one at that. 

Virgil sighed fondly. “I don’t… I don’t really have an exact time? I just know that uh, once I moved over here I started to… I started to really miss you.” Virgil spoke clearly and with full honesty. 

Janus honestly didn’t know what to say. So instead of responding verbally, he reached out and gently placed his hand over Virgil’s, holding it loose enough that Virgil could pull away if he wanted, but tight enough that his actions could not be mistaken. Virgil readjusted his hand so he could hold Janus’s hand too. They sat silently, gazes transfixed on the hands between them. 

It was a few minutes before Virgil broke the silence. “So what about you?” 

Janus floundered for a moment. 

“I- what- what do you mean ‘what about me’?” 

Virgil laughed, his smile growing a little shy. “Don’t play dumb!” He teased. “I answered your question, can you answer it for me too? How long have you liked me?” 

“Oh.” Janus replied, and suddenly he felt very small. 

“I think… I think since before you left, but I didn’t notice it until you were gone because that’s when-” 

Janus stopped himself short. He was going to say  _ that’s when my room started to fabricate you _ , but he had no idea how well that would be perceived by Virgil. Would he think it was weird? Pathetic? Creepy? 

“When what, Jay?” Virgil asked, trying out the nickname. Janus would deny the blush that seemed to appear out of nowhere at the sound of it. 

Janus took a deep breath. “If I tell you this, you have to promise me two things.” he insisted. 

“Okay.” Virgil nodded without hesitation. 

“Okay. Promise me that you won’t make fun, and that you’ll let me explain.” Janus requested. 

At Virgil’s nod, Janus continued. 

“Okay, so how my room works. It kind of… it shows me lies, basically. Lies that I’d like to believe. Most of them are small and inconsequential. I can ignore them and nothing will ever come of it, good or bad. But sometimes… sometimes the lies are bigger. More, erm, more  _ personal  _ desires.” Janus explained. 

“Okay…” Virgil nodded, a little slow and a little skeptical, but he had promised to let Janus explain, and he was going to stick to it. 

“So, it was about a month after you left the first time my room came up with a fabrication of… of you.” Janus admitted. 

Virgil’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. He raised his free arm in slow, halting movements, pointing to himself as if to ask  _ me? This me? Are you sure? _

Janus nodded. “And I rarely dismissed my room’s fabricated version of you because it was… nice, to pretend that you would care for me, be there for me, and just  _ listen _ to me.” 

Virgil lowered his gaze. 

“I should’ve done that from the start. I’m sorry I didn’t. I’m gonna make it up to you, Jay. I promise.” 

Virgil raised their clasped hands and brushed a feather-light kiss over Janus’s knuckles. 

Janus definitely wasn't getting choked up. No, he cleared his throat right after that for the effect. The effect and nothing more. 

“I… I know I’m the liar of the group, but I swear I’m being honest when I tell you I never did anything with the fabrication of you.” Janus reassured Virgil. 

“Well, nothing more than maybe cry for an embarrassingly long amount of time and accept a few hugs. But just that and nothing more!” He added after a moment of thought. 

“Okay. I trust you.” Virgil replied easily. 

Janus immediately relaxed, tension practically melting off of him. 

“Thank you.” He said quietly, and this time he was getting choked up. 

Virgil got up from his seat across from Janus, breaking the hold he had on the other side’s hand. He circled the table so he could get around the side and be right next to Janus, sitting in the seat beside him and opening his arms in a silent offer of a hug. Janus gladly accepted, shaking with a few silent sobs, gripping Virgil like a lifeline. 

Virgil spoke up after a few moments. “Do you think the fabrication is gonna come back now that you’ve got those feelings off your chest and it’s not a lie anymore?” 

Janus shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care.” he sniffled. “Besides, this is so much better than that could ever be.” 

Virgil gave a soft gasp, and his grip tightened almost imperceptibly. Janus felt his boyfriend give a soft smile and breath of relief, followed by a gentle kiss placed atop his head. 

Neither of them said another word, but the silence was comfortable, companionable. They would make it work. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took forever because it's twice as long as the previous chapters I'm so sorry

Janus had a  _ very _ long day. The other sides had enlisted his help to convince Thomas that pulling an all-nighter was necessary, a decision he was seriously regretting. After all, the sides who had a part in convincing Thomas to stay up had to stay up with him, otherwise he’d fall asleep. So Janus, Patton, and Roman had pulled a successful all-nighter, and were now paying the price. It’s not like they could just go bed come morning, they had another day ahead of them to get through first. 

Needless to say, by the end of the day, Janus was  _ exhausted _ . He practically fell into Virgil’s arms just after dinner, refusing to leave his boyfriend’s side. 

“Veeeee, ‘m sleepy.” Janus complained for the umpteenth time. 

Virgil rolled his eyes and chuckled fondly. “That all-nighter doesn’t seem like such a great idea now, huh?” 

Janus waved a dismissive hand sluggishly. “Hindsight better, or whatever the saying is.” he yawned. That got an actual snort out of Virgil. 

“Yeah, Jay. Hindsight better. I thought you had better foresight than this, though!” He jokingly teased. 

“That’s a you problem.” Janus slurred sleepily. 

Virgil made a show of giving a long-suffering sigh, no real exasperation behind the action, only overwhelming fondness. 

“Alright, alright. You’re barely coherent, let’s get you to bed.” Virgil lamented, pushing Janus off his lap for a brief moment as he stood. 

The heartbroken sound that came from Janus at the action actually startled Virgil. 

“Hey Jay, I’m just getting up so we can get you to your room. I promise I’m still right here.” Virgil soothed.

Janus responded by latching himself on to Virgil’s torso and refusing to let go. Virgil hefted him into his arms, being careful as he climbed the stairs and made his way to Janus’s room. 

After entering the room, Virgil placed Janus on his bed unceremoniously, getting a small indignant squeak out of the exhausted side. Virgil then went over to Janus’s closet and pulled out two sets of pajamas. 

“I showered and stuff earlier. You gotta do that too. I’m not gonna cuddle a boyfriend who’s gone at least two days without a shower.” Virgil teased, placing a peck to Janus’s forehead. 

“Also, can I wear these?” Virgil asked, holding up the second set of pajamas. 

Janus nodded as he went into his bathroom to take a quick shower and brush his teeth while Virgil changed in his room. 

Nothing was out of the ordinary about this arrangement. They had done it this way multiple times in both of their respective rooms. What was different this time, though, was Janus was  _ exhausted _ , and an exhausted Janus is both emotional and  _ extremely  _ forgetful. 

So logically, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when Janus re-entered the main part of his room, spotted Virgil, and immediately started sobbing. 

Virgil had been sitting on the bed, scrolling through his phone as he waited for Janus to re-enter the room. He was startled out of his lazy scrolling by Janus’s sudden sobs. 

“Shit! Jay, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” Virgil shot up from his place on the bed, rushing over to Janus’s side. 

Janus, for his part, looked thoroughly confused. 

“What? Normally, normally I gotta, I gotta go to you?” 

This made Virgil stop and think. He couldn’t recall ever  _ making _ Janus come to him when they had their cuddle sessions. They worked out something that both of them were comfortable with, and Virgil wasn't comfortable taking his overly-exhausted boyfriend to his own room, he didn’t want to make Janus’s mental state any worse with the effects of his room. 

Virgil wracked his brain, trying to figure out what Janus meant, while Janus clung to him and cried, a sizable wet spot forming on his shoulder. 

They’d only been dating for about a month, what had Virgil done to give this impression to Janus? The only times he’d ever waited for Janus to come to him were when Janus  _ offered _ , had he known it was this distressing to his boyfriend, Virgil never would’ve even considered it. 

Virgil was stumped. And though Janus was an exhausted, sobbing mess, Virgil knew that he had to ask for clarification. So carefully, he helped Janus to his feet and guided him over to his bed. 

Janus’s confusion only grew, but Virgil decided to pose his question before Janus could say something even more baffling. 

“Jay? I know you’re upset about something, but I don’t know what. I want to help, but I can’t unless I know what’s wrong.” 

Janus sniffled as Virgil helped him sit on his bed. He was quiet for a little while, brow furrowed in confusion. Virgil sat quietly and patiently, waiting for Janus to offer an explanation of his own accord, rather than forcing one from him. 

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Janus spoke 

“Are you real?” 

“Wha- I- yeah?” Virgil asked, mind already racing through all the reasons that Janus might have asked that, and why  _ now  _ of all times. 

“Oh. Okay.” Janus yawned, still seeming thoroughly confused. Still, he curled into Virgil’s side and Virgil wrapped his arms around him, placing a kiss atop his head and lingering there, still wondering what on earth Janus’s question meant. 

_ Are you real? _ The question… it didn’t make sense. Only Roman and Remus had the ability to create things, and only in the imagination. And they’d never created false versions of the other sides, not to Virgil’s knowledge, at least. 

Then, Virgil remembered the conversation that they’d had just over a month ago. Janus’s room could lie to him, show him what he wished for. And he’d confessed to wishing to be with Virgil for… a long time before they finally got together. 

Virgil tensed as he realized that in his exhausted state, Janus had thought Virgil was a fabrication, created by his room. It matched up with how Janus had described the fabrication appearing, always already in the room when he opened the door, and often after long or exhausting days. Janus had always been the one to initiate actions, so Virgil meeting him at his side had thrown Janus off. 

Virgil was proud of Janus for having the strength to ask his question, but that still worried him. Maybe it was just because he was tired, or maybe it meant something more. Regardless, Virgil didn’t want his boyfriend to ever have to worry about his room creating a fabrication of him again. It certainly didn’t seem like a pleasant burden to carry with him. 

Virgil carefully moved them both from their sitting position to be laying on the bed, pulling Janus close to his chest. 

“I’m here, Jay. I promise. I’m here.” Virgil did his best to reassure Janus as they both fell asleep, trying not to worry about the conversation that they’d need to have in the morning. 

Janus snuggled up to Virgil’s chest. Virgil found it adorable despite the worries on his mind. He took a few deep breaths, placed a final peck on Janus’s hair, and finally settled down to drift off for the next few hours.

* * *

Virgil was also the first to wake up the next morning. He’d expected as much, especially since Janus had pulled that all-nighter the day before. He sat there for about fifteen minutes, alone with his thoughts. Normally, that would worry him, but having Janus close to him did wonders to calm him down. 

Eventually, Janus did wake up, sleepily smiling up at Virgil, humming happily at the sleepy kiss Virgil placed on his forehead. 

“G’mornin, sir slithers.” Virgil greeted. 

Janus snorted. “That’s lame.” he accused through a yawn, still smiling sleepily up at Virgil like he was his whole world. Another thing that might usually worry Virgil, but he was strangely okay with it coming from Janus. 

“So, snakey, how you feeling after that all-nighter from yesterday?” Virgil asked. 

“Or would that be two days ago?” Virgil wondered aloud after a pause. 

Janus let out a snort of laughter and shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.” 

This… this was a normal morning interaction for them, yet Virgil still felt impossibly and overwhelmingly  _ in love _ after it, just like he had every morning since they’d started their little routine. 

“Coffee?” Virgil offered, sitting up and pulling his sweatshirt on over the borrowed sleep shirt. 

“Mmm,  _ yes please _ .” Janus hummed, a sleepy smile growing on his face as he reached out for Virgil. 

Virgil raised an amused eyebrow. 

“I am  _ not _ carrying you down to the kitchen, Jay.” 

Janus pouted but didn’t ask again, instead just huffing indignantly as he got up from his bed, immediately attaching himself to Virgil’s side after. 

Virgil rolled his eyes fondly. 

“Oh no, you’ve trapped me in place. How will I ever get to the kitchen for coffee now.” He deadpanned. 

“Nooooo!” Janus protested. “Carry me please?” He asked again. 

Virgil had to bite back a laugh. Until he’d seen how Janus behaved after just waking up, he hadn’t thought any of the other sides would be worse than he was in the morning. 

“You got legs,” Virgil teased, “you can walk yourself down to the kitchen perfectly fine, I promise.” 

“No, I don’t.” Janus protested, not even bothering to hide his lies. “I’m clearly a snake. Hiss.” 

Virgil laughed and caved, hoisting Janus into his arms. “Okay, but only this once!” He insisted, both of them knowing it was a blatant lie. (unless, of course, “once” reset every few days, as Virgil indulged Janus in his favorite mode of transportation quite often.) 

When they arrived in the kitchen, Virgil poured two mugs of coffee and Janus grabbed the creamer and sugar, adding the perfect amount to each of their mugs

“So,” Virgil began casually, “do you, uh, wanna talk about last night?” 

Janus’s smile faded but didn’t disappear. He stared down at his mug and wouldn’t meet Virgil’s eyes. 

“I… no, not really.” 

Virgil nodded. “I think… it’s an important conversation that we need to have, so  _ can _ we talk about it?” 

Janus nodded, a barely audible “yeah.” leaving his lips. 

“Do you wanna finish your coffee first?” Virgil offered, smirk evident in his tone. 

Janus huffed out a laugh, some of the tension melting out of his shoulders. “Oh, yes  _ please. _ ” 

After a few more minutes of idly chatting and sipping their coffee, both their mugs were thoroughly drained and they were rapidly running out of reasons not to have the conversation. Finally, Virgil got up and gently pried the empty mug from Janus’s hands. 

“In here, or somewhere else?” Virgil offered. 

Janus shrugged. “Because location makes such a monumental difference.” He snarked. 

Virgil had long since learned that Janus’s snark and lies were defense mechanisms, rarely used towards him anymore. If he was reacting like this, it really must be a touchy subject. 

Virgil shrugged. “I mean, yeah, it could. Just, wherever you’re most comfortable.” 

Janus sighed. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” 

Virgil sat next to Janus and took his hand. “It’s alright,” he promised. They were both silent for only a little longer than what was comfortable. 

“So, uh, here or somewhere else?” Virgil tried again. 

Janus gave a small smile. “Here is fine.” 

And then again with the silence. 

“Is… is there a reason that this is hard for you to talk about?” Virgil offered, allowing Janus to dance around the topic just a little more. 

Janus nodded, then shook his head, then nodded again. “It’s… I know  _ why _ this upsets me, it just seems silly to be upset about.” he admitted. 

Virgil nodded. “That makes sense. And you always tell me that if it makes me upset, it can’t be that silly. So the same thing applies to you.” 

Janus smiles bitterly, finally looking up at Virgil. “You are far too good for me, and I am never going to let go.” 

Virgil rolls his eyes fondly. “You won’t have to, dork.” 

Virgil pulled Janus into a hug, one which he gladly reciprocated. 

“Can we… can we stay like this? It might be easier to talk about if I don’t have to watch your face.” Janus explained.  _ If I don’t have to see your disappointment _ went left unsaid. 

Virgil nodded. “If you think it’ll help, then of course.” 

Janus nodded and let out a shaky breath, letting his forehead fall to Virgil’s shoulder. 

“Obviously, I cannot use my exhaustion as an excuse, but it  _ is _ the reasoning behind my actions last night. Even though it’s not an excuse I still think it’s important that you know that.” 

Virgil nodded, carding his fingers through Janus’s hair, otherwise not interrupting.

“And you’re smart enough that you’ve probably already figured it out!” Janus was quick to add. He didn’t want Virgil to think he thought he was dumb. “I just… it matched almost perfectly with what used to happen, back when my room would just… make a fabrication of you. And I was so tired that I didn’t stop to think about how really, it wouldn’t make sense. I just didn’t like the thought of you not being there anymore, and I reacted to those emotions. I’m sorry.” 

Virgil’s hold around Janus tightened. “It’s okay, Jay. I promise, the furthest thing from my mind was irritation or anger. I care about you and want to make sure that I help you however I can. You don’t have to be sorry, your reaction makes sense.” 

Janus was crying a little, but only Virgil could tell from the wet spot on his shoulder and Janus’s slightly shorter breathing. He clutched at the fabric of Virgil’s hoodie and Virgil rubbed comforting circles on his back. 

Janus took a deep breath. “I just don’t want you to think that I see you as…  _ replaceable _ . You’re the furthest from that.” 

Virgil smiled, letting out a soft breath. “I know Jay. I really hope you know I feel the same.” 

Janus let out a sigh of relief, nuzzling into Virgil’s neck, allowing himself to linger in the hug for just a moment longer before pulling back. 

“Thank you for listening, Virgil. And… and thank you for believing me.” Janus offered, face reddening with blush. 

Virgil let his smile grow ever so slightly. “Of course, Janus,” he began, taking Janus’s hand and running his thumb over the knuckles. “Only the best for you.” Virgil teased, getting a laugh out of his boyfriend. 

“Oh, and  _ I’m  _ the dork?” Janus teased right back. 

It was Virgil’s turn to laugh, bringing Janus’s hand up to his lips and brushing a light kiss over his knuckles. 

“How does breakfast sound, snakey?” 

Janus smiled. “Breakfast sounds absolutely wonderful, Virgey.” 

The two fell back into their comfortable routine of affectionate teasing and stolen kisses, occasionally trying to “enhance” the other’s dish with mystery ingredients that ranged from bacon grease to rainbow sprinkles. 

Janus smiled, secure in the knowledge that  _ this _ would never be a lie. This easy familiarity, this playful teasing, this overwhelming love. It was all  _ real _ and it was all  _ theirs _ . And he loved it. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a kiss to his scaled cheek from Virgil, one he turned to eagerly reciprocate, only to have Virgil pull away and smirk triumphantly. 

Janus turned back to the pan he’d been watching in horror. 

“Virgil!” Janus shouted, though there was no real anger in it. “Cheese does  _ not _ go in pancakes!” 

Virgil cackled right as Patton appeared to shoo them out of the kitchen and attempt to save breakfast. 

Janus lightly smacked the back of Virgil’s head. 

“You’re insufferable.” He declared fondly. 

Virgil smiled, sticking his tongue out at Janus. 

“Yeah, but you love meee.” Virgil sang at him as they sat down in the living room, resigning themselves to waiting for Patton to finish breakfast. 

Janus smiled and snuggled a little closer to his boyfriend. 

“Yeah,” he admitted, “maybe I do.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, your feedback is appreciated!  
> You can also find me on tumblr at @yalltookmyurlideas and @chris-writings


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